DECEMBER DAYS....

Sophie turned four, cold mornings, pj day at school, visit with Santa and time in new Jammers by the tree. DECEMBER!

1. Eggnog or Hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
in the chair or on the floor and they are "play ready"
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
white on the christmas tree and colored outside.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? I never have....maybe I should???
Never
5. When do you put your decorations up?
right after Thanksgiving...before Sophie's birthday!!!!!!
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Like appetizer type food...finger food and soup for Christmas Eve.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
Always at Grandma's house.
8. How and when did you learn the truth about Santa?
Tracy Pebbles...July on a bike ride.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
used to.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
lots of big bulb ornaments...gold and blingy!
11. Snow? Love it or dread it?
both.
12. Can you ice skate?
nope.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
amethyst necklace from Howard...our first Christmas together.
14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
the love.
15. What is your favorite homemade holiday dessert?
love the pretzels
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
starting the gingerbread house this year! and the Nutcracker with Sophie.
17. What tops your tree?
bow. That I made!
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
both!
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Love George Winston's December album!

JaZZ HAndS with ALI!!!!

I had such a good time at Ali's classes yesterday! WoW!

Two Spotted Dogs~ these kits rock!!!!

I have made at least....6 LO's and 10 cards with this kit! WOW! that's a lot of stuff with one kit. I still have more to play with!!!!

ahhhhh. love the Nov. 2SD kit!

LIGHTS!

I love christmas lights. I turn the lights of the tree on the first thing in the morning and love to drink my coffee looking at them. This will be a great Christmas.

Turkey Day!!!!!

Fun was had by all.
MENU:
TURKEY
stuffing
mashed potatoes
gravy
corn & bean casserole
carrots
brussels sprouts
cranberry in a can (Howard)
cranberry salad (Leah)
crescent rolls
Pecan pie
Pumpkin pie.

Yummmmmm.
Give Thanks.

Thanksgiving past. 2002

This was a very memorable day for me. I was expecting Sophie ... ( didn't know it was her ... thought it might be a he .. that is what EVERYONE told me!) I was super craving the foods of the season .... didn't think I would get to get the meal I prepared ... thought the second it was on the table my water would break! (not the case. She was born on Dec. 5) I didn't want to travel so it was just the two of us. I made dinner watching the parade on the tv...Howard set it up in the kitchen so I could watch....after dinner we took a massive baby room photo shoot! It was a special day for the 2of us...well 2 and a half of us!

Christmas gifts!

I have not made any pages this week...been working on christmas gifts...check out my cool trees!!!!

10 names

(got this off of Jill's blog!)

1. YOUR REAL NAME:
Leah

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Coffee Sugar

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three of last name)
Lfar
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME:(fav color and fav animal):
purple panda

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, town where you were born):
Jane Springfield

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom's maiden name): Farlewor

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink ):
black coffee (the next parkland play!!!!)

8. IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1 letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of you dads middle name, 1 letter of a siblings first name, last letter of your moms middle name):
ERjoiee

9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne
first

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father's middle name)
Jane Brice

SNOW!

It is snowing! the first snow of the year. I looked out the windows and felt joy and happiness and surprise and awe. ...big luscious flakes that won't last. Cool. I have George Winston's DECEMBER playing. {sigh} I love the first snow. off to make some hot chocolate!

father daughter discussion.

Christmas. past.

I am getting in the Christmas spirit!!! did this LO and want more Christmas stuff to scrap...all the fun products out there!!! I am ready to start getting out the decorations!!!! might do some today.

another PLAY LO.

Now that Wonder Of The World, has been over for awhile I have the inspiration to scrap the play. I had a blast acting in it and now am reliving the fun by scrapping some of it. I have seen a lot of the cast members at the Theatre lately....they have come to see Urinetown....it is really good to see them. You are so into a show--absorbed in it for a month or 2 then it is done. poof. over. I am glad I scrap to preserve a tiny piece of what happened!

Quest for the perfect pumpkin!

Love Fall. Sophie seem to love it as well!

stuff.

Well, {sigh} another weekend over. It was busy around here. play opened at the Theatre. I was there Wed, Fri. and Saturday. Howard and I saw the show together on Friday and I ran the talkback after the show. It is a really good production. Saturday we took the kids to see the free morning movie of OVER THE HEDGE at the theatre...other than the 20 minute intermission to sell stuff at the consession stand, it was great! On Sunday, Howard preached, we had our church Thanksgiving dinner...I made green beans and new potatoes...they looked good at home and looked scary 2 hours later for the meal....they were pretty much untouched. {sigh...I ate them.} Howard had to spend the rest of the day in Galesburg. I got scrap time in on Sunday afternoon and evening. here's what I came up with.

November....I am full of THANKS

1. Howard
2. Sophie
3. Dow
4. Health
5. Home
6. Church
7. morning coffee
8. good tv night
9. scrap time
10. silence
11. seasons
12. art made by my children
13. sleep...especially naps
14. Holly
15. friends
16. prayers
17. music
18. computers
19. Parkland
20. kindness

a few of my latest Scraps...

HApPy HalLOwEen!!!!!!

Sophie was excited.
that is an understatement!
Dow almost fell asleep on Howard's shoulder as they went Trick-or-Treating...
We all went to 2 houses --then H. took the kids and I passed out candy.
I had a fire in the fireplace...{sigh} I LOVE this time of year!!!
My kidlets looooved passing out the candy to other kids...Dow said..."here, boy" to a 10 year old and tried to give him licorice...when the kid wouldn't take it...Dow offered it to his horse.

Happy Birthday, Dow!!!

Last Saturday, my sweet baby turned two. I love it that on Friday night I asked him how old he was...ONE! On Saturday morning, he said...TWO! ahhhh. he is a sugar.
The party was a Wild West hit!!!
Chili was eaten...
kids played...
Dow smiled...
Presents were torn into by all the kids! I just said "go at it!" it kind of worked!!!
my Dad helped me scrap party favors!
Fun, Fun!

NEW FAVORITE PICTURE

I saw this and just {SIGHED} this is my heart on a photo. my boys....love, love, love 'em!!!

CLIMB.

Sophie has no fear...here she is at the park last weekend. She can climb!

Sister & Brother

Sophie and Dow...playing together in a corner...no mom's allowed. This is my new favorite picture!!!

Made 11 copies of this Lay out for a swap...it was fun.

Mr. Clean.

Howard and the kids are sitting together watching Dragontales right now...a minute ago a Mr. Clean commercial was on....
Sophie:Can that man come to our house sometime?
Howard: (Big Smile....Looks at Leah) You've got to add that to your blog!

hehehehehe!

Grandmothers.

This weekend I completed a layout that I have been pondering for a long time. My sister gave me this picture years ago...and I found it a bit strange...since both of my grandmothers were not close or really friends. yet, I was compelled to scrap it. Even though my Grandmas are both gone I still feel the love and happiness of all the moments we shared together. I see me in them. and for that I am so proud.

SO FAR I HAVE COMPLETED 5 out of the 10 OCTOBER things to do...see OCT.1!!!! Still must find red shoes and light a fire!

Weekend wrap-up

On Saturday morning we went to the Farmers Market and the kids looooved the pumpkins. Dow calls every pumpkin, "Pumpkin patch." He says it in the sweetest little voice. They each picked out a pumpkin. So now everytime we exit the house Dow yells..."PUMPKIN PATCH!"

My kids have the sweet moments to balance out the breakdown episodes. The "he is touching me!" fights have started in a major way. When they start driving me crazy, Dow will say "Pumpkin Patch" and Sophie will smile and say something adorable, funny and touching. {sigh}
Weekend wrap-up!
*had a date with Howard...Italian food and a play at the Station Theatre
*Farmer's Market
*Cooked some yummy apples and squash
*Howard had a wedding
*I got some scrap time in this weekend
*Sunday. Great music at both services!
*Exhausted kids went to bed early on Sunday night!

This morning!

Played with our new web cam! Dow LOOOOOVED it. Sophie just wants her picture taken over and over. She would like to type on the blog. here she goes. assdfghhjkllpppoiiiiiiuuiiiyyyyyyttttrrrrrrreewwwwwwwqqaaaaassssdddddd
Sophie is Bloggin!

Spooky art.

I have had fun making spiders. My friend Diane made these and I fell in love! I had to make them for an ATC swap I am in and for card and just to make them because they are sooooo darn cute! I used the beautiful Heidi Grace paper for the cards....love the shimmery stuff. Also some reminese (sp?) paper I found and fell in love with at Prairie Gardens. I am about to get some more Halloween stuff in the mail....hurry, hurry....I want to play.